Bill Dey suffered from a pulmonary embolism Sunday January 14, 2018. He became unconscious at home and was revived by his wife while waiting for first responders. He was taken to Olathe Medical Center where he went into cardiac arrest twice and coded for 31 minutes during the longest episode. At that time he was intubated and placed on a ventilator. He remained on the ventilator for almost 7 days. When removed to test respiratory response he was too weak and causing him anxiety from air hunger and he had to be intubated and sedated again. Due to the length of time on the ventilator a tracheostomy and peg feeding tube were done on Monday January 22nd.
During this time Bill was also found to be in kidney failure due lack of blood flow and oxygen deprivation during his cardiac arrest. He had to receive hemodialysis while in the ICU and is not yet clear from future sessions at this point.
This story isn't over but after the tracheostomy was placed Bill was removed from sedation and began making great progress with his breathing, strength and cognition. The tracheostomy has been removed but Bill remains on supplemental oxygen due to lung damage . He is now looking at being discharged to an acute care rehabilitation hospital to continue regaining his strength and coordination. This all began with an ankle fusion and tendon repair a month prior that will continue to limit his rehabilitation due to weight bearing restrictions. He is not showing signs of cognitive impairment due to oxygen deprived brain damage and that is the best we could ever have hoped for. Any help given would help our family with medical expenses and living expenses accrued during this time. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Thank you,
Bill, Stephanie, Tabitha and Jackson